As is usual, there have been serious questions regarding the offensive line of the Cincinnati Bengals to start the 2024 NFL Season. In two games, elite quarterback Joe Burrow has taken six sacks after the LSU product suffered a season-ending injury to his right wrist to end his 2023 season prematurely almost a year ago. After letting disappointing right tackle Jonah Williams leave over the offseason, the front office clearly hoped to be done with the problem of protecting their greatest asset but that certainly hasn’t been the case.
Cincinnati Bengals Experience Trouble at the Right Tackle Position
Part of the problem has been the disappointing play of right tackle Trent Brown this offseason. Brown was brought as a free agent for a minuscule one-year contract for $4 million this offseason. Even though he is a former Super Bowl Champion, it is clear why he didn’t demand a much higher sum. The 6’8″ 380-pound behemoth struggles with quickness and agility to such an extent that it has severely impacted his ability to protect Burrow’s blindside. If he doesn’t improve quickly, Cincinnati may go in another direction at right tackle.
Rookie Offensive Lineman Looks Ready to Go for Week 3
Unfortunately for Brown, it appears that his primary competition for the starting job has finally returned to practice as rookie right tackle Amarius Mims was listed as limited on the Friday injury report. Mims has missed the first two weeks of the regular season after suffering a pectoral injury during the first game of the preseason. Up until that point, it looked like Mims was on pace to earn the starting job as the right bookend of the offensive line. The injury certainly curtailed that ambition and he has been relegated to the backup role at least for the moment.
A look at Trent Brown and Amarius Mims. Trench work! #Bengals pic.twitter.com/jVeTDzaFqR
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) September 20, 2024
Big week for Amarius Mims. Could this be the week the Bengals first round pick makes his much anticipated NFL debut? pic.twitter.com/ZRAZ6LjhhN
— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) September 19, 2024
Mims was selected with the 18th overall pick this offseason to be the future of the right tackle position in Cincinnati. Even from the short clips of the pair of giants working drills, the 6’8″ 340-pound Mims looks far more athletic than the clumsy Brown. On top of that, Brown is a textbook waist-bender when it comes to run blocking, meaning that he lunges at defenders, almost gambling in a way where he’ll land a hit or the defender will dodge. High-level offensive linemen at the professional level bend at the knees so that they can attack with their arms, keeping their weight over their body in a controlled fashion.
Brown has already burnt a lot of goodwill after the first two weeks of the season. If he suffers another poor game with Mims available on the bench, head coach Zac Taylor and offensive line coach Frank Pollack may be forced to make the switch midgame. Once the switch happens, Brown will likely be relegated to the swing tackle role as a high-end backup.
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